


Child of Light

by SoftButchCassidy



Series: Aurora and Mikris (and friends!) [9]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Adoption, Aurora and Mikris adopt a baby fallen and it's cute, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Lesbian Moms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 23:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20882603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoftButchCassidy/pseuds/SoftButchCassidy
Summary: Mikris, Ambassador of the House of Light, doesn't find what she's expecting when she agrees to a meeting... but in darkness and death, there is always hope. Aurora has taught her that.





	Child of Light

**Author's Note:**

> g ay,,, somft,,,,,,,,,  
Kazrian and Orpheus are my friend Wash's wonderful ocs!

Mikris didn’t do fieldwork much anymore. 

Most of her contacts met with her after a few messages back and forth, in a neutral location.

This was different. 

The Guardian at her side wasn’t Aurora, but Orpheus was calm and collected. The other Eliksni with them bore shining white and gold armor, elegant and refined, as Eliksni hadn’t in centuries. It wasn’t patchworked and haphazard, wasn’t built from scraps. 

Orpheus held up his hand for his Ghost to appear. The shell of the Ghost split apart, sending out a pulse of Light. He hummed in unease as he let his Ghost vanish. “There’s definitely traces of Dark ether,” he informed them. “Keep your tanks secure.”

Mikris nodded and double checked. Her crew shuffled to ensure their own tanks were safe. “But are there any Scorn?” she asked.

“No, not that my Ghost could detect. And they’re really not hard to find.” He shook his head. “But… we’re not getting any real signs of life at all.”

Mikris growled softly in worry. She gripped Lumina in one hand. “Stay close. And be cautious,” she warned. She headed into the cave first with Orpheus at her heel.

The reek of death blasted her, and she recoiled with a retch.

Orpheus cursed.

Mikris stared in horror at the massacre before her.

The little cave was littered with corpses. Fallen were strewn in pools of their own blood, streaks of red-violet dragged across the floor and along the walls, like the Scorn had tried drawing sigils with blood. Their limbs were scattered, some burned and scorched and twisted. 

It wasn’t just murder. It was torture.

Mikris felt the Hunter touch her shoulder. Her crew was reeling behind them, but her ether pounded too hard in her throat for her to hear them. She leaned into her friend’s touch.

“Monsters,” Orpheus whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mikris. We were too late…”

Mikris shook her head and gulped down her grief. “I have their names,” she rasped. “We should bring them… let them live on in ether.”

Orpheus nodded solemnly. 

“I’ll call the Skiff in,” Hivriks murmured.

“Be careful,” she told him. 

He lowered his head and ducked out of the cave. 

“Are you okay?” Orpheus asked her softly.

“No,” she admitted. “No, I’m not, but… wait, hold on.”

She stepped forward and nudged one of the body parts. “This is… Scorn.”

Orpheus looked more critically at the corpses. “Yeah… here, look, there’s…” He frowned and held out his Ghost again. “It’s… touched with void.”

Mikris straightened. “Void? As in…”

“Void Light.”

Orpheus looked critically at the bodies and then along the floor, the wall. He stared at a few caches against the wall and frowned. “There’s none there. By those. There’s a concentration of void energy there.”

Mikris lifted her head, jaw opening slightly to taste the air better. “It’s… Light, but it’s not really… it’s strange.”

Orpheus stalked forward.

Slowly, he nudged open the lid of a cache.

He jumped at a sound and lifted his rifle.

Every Eliksni jolted at the sound.

“No, no, Orpheus!” Mikris yelped, springing forward. 

Orpheus looked startled at her, but she was already pushing past him. She holstered Lumina with a secondary, all her focus turning to the cache.

Another feeble chirp had every instinct in her body softening. 

With the utmost care that she could possibly muster, she reached into the cache and lifted out the toddler.

Orpheus’s gun lowered and his eyes widened. 

Mikris cradled the fragile creature close to her chest. “I can’t believe it survived…”

“Is that a baby?” Orpheus asked.

Mikris could smell something strange about the child. It smelled like the Awoken, in a weird way. “Yes,” she said. “A little older than a hatchling… they’ve molted at least twice, but still very young… poor thing.”

“There’s… something weird, what is…” He lifted his Ghost. “Eurydice, can you…”

The Ghost was already scanning the child. “There’s… Light and Dark in them,” she said softly. 

“The corrupt ether,” Mikris murmured. “But… I don’t understand… Light?”

“They’re not a Guardian, that’s for sure,” Eurydice confirmed. “Maybe… the Traveler still did… something?”

“Either way, they don’t look great,” Orpheus said, worried.

Mikris nodded. She tucked the child closer to her chest. Their claws gripped her armor tight, and she felt a soft purr rumble deep in her chest to soothe the little one. “Poor thing… I don’t think they can see at all. We should get them out of here and get them fresh ether and a bath.” She switched to Eliksni as she looked to her crew. “Do you know if there are any nursing Servitors on the Ketch?”

“There might be a few,” Yilras replied. “If not, some of them can reprogram when there’s a little one to care for.”

Mikris nodded gratefully. She looked to Orpheus again. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being a kind Guardian,” she said softly. “Helping us as you have. Welcoming our House among the Iron Lords, giving us a place to live on Felwinter Peak.”

He cracked a rare smile. “You’re one of us, too, Mick,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what an Iron Lord looks like, just what you stand for. I’m happy to help your House out, too. So… what are you gonna do with the kid? They’re… really cute.”

Mikris cupped the child’s face with one hand, and they pressed into her palm, their foggy eyes half-lidded. “Take care of them,” she said. “The House doesn’t have any hatchlings yet, though I’ve heard a few whispers about the potential.”

“Rumors about who’s banging,” Orpheus translated.

Mikris chittered a laugh. “Yeah, pretty much. But… this is an orphan. They need to be taken care of. They need a House. And these Eliksni wanted to join us anyway…”

Orpheus softened as he looked at the child. “Aurora’s gonna love that little guy.”

A purr rumbled deep in Mikris’ chest. She felt warmth blossom through her at the thought. “She will…”

“C’mon, let’s get them outta here,” Orpheus said.

Mikris carried the child out to the waiting Skiff.

***

Aurora was waiting when they returned to the Ketch.

The moment that Mikris stepped out of the Skiff with the sleepy child, Aurora was at her side. Her optics glittered bright, flickering rainbow colors. “Oh, my stars,” she cooed. 

Mikris purred. “I thought you would like them!”

“I’ve known them for all of two seconds but if anything happened to them I would destroy the entire solar system.”

Mikris snorted and bumped her forehead to her wife’s. “Come on, silly, they need to get to the nursery.”

Aurora kept at her side, cooing softly at the child as they walked. Mikris couldn’t stop the purr that kept rumbling through her, and didn’t really bother to, either. It soothed the little one, who was facing Aurora, chirping curiously.

“Aurora, hey!”

Aurora blinked and paused. Mikris stopped as well. 

Kazrian hurried over with a lump of fur in his arms. “Hey, here, hold this for a minute,” he said quickly, shoving the thing at her. “I’ll come get it later!”

Aurora took the thing, looking baffled. “What the hell is--”

“Gotta go!” Kazrian darted off, a few Eliksni turning to watch him go, looking confused.

Aurora shifted the ball of fur. “He just gave me a puppy and ran away?”

Mikris angled her head in confusion. “What?”

Aurora showed her the fur. Two little blue eyes blinked sleepily at her. Mikris melted. “Real baby hours, I guess,” Aurora said.

Mirkis chirped in confusion and shook her head.

“Well, guess this is mine now.” Aurora shrugged. “Nursery?”

Mikris trilled in agreement and led her wife through the Ketch. Other Eliksni looked over with brightening faces and excited chirps. The little one kept trying to look toward the sounds, but their fogged-over eyes stayed dull and sightless.

The nursery had been empty for months, but as Mikris and Aurora approached, there was a bustle of activity. Eager Splicers with nursing training were waiting with eyes bright, and there were even a few Servitors burbling patiently. 

The Splicers bowed respectfully as they approached. One, Mikris recalled as named Riksor, stepped forward. “I’ve already spoken with Misraaks,” he said. “I’m taking the position of Overseer. I was the Overseer of Hatchlings under Sraviks, Winter Baron, for many years. I’ll do everything in my knowledge and power to tend to the first hatchling in the House of Light.” There was a joy and pride in his tone. 

Aurora grinned. “Looks like there’s a crew ready for you, too!”

Riksor chittered. “Yes, indeed. It’s exciting! We’ve been hoping there might be hatchlings at some point, of course.”

Mikris nestled the little one closer to her chest. “We should get food and ether for them,” she urged.

The Splicers jumped into action. Mikris was ushered into the Nursery, to the comfortable first-molts room. She settled on the floor with Aurora beside her, and the Splicers rushed to tend to the little one. 

They were blind, utterly and completely. They were small, weak, and fragile. It was a miracle they had survived at all.

But they were, already, determined. Resilient. 

And sweet, so charming. They clung to Mikris, and then to Aurora, chattering and chirping and purring. As often as they could be taken from the ether-rich incubator, the little one was terribly and wonderfully affectionate over the course of the next couple of days.

Saffron hovered over them, scanning them over and over. She couldn’t figure out what was so strange. 

“There’s Dark from the corrupt ether, but Light, too,” Saffron said. “It’s… unusual. I’m not sure what’s… going on with it. It’s kind of like… the Dreaming City, the Awoken…?”

Aurora cupped the sleeping little one’s face. “Like the Shard of the Traveler?”

“Yes,” Saffron said. She twitched her Servitor-shaped shell. “I wonder…” She blinked her eye fondly at the little one. “Maybe… did the Traveler do this?”

Mikris’s eyes widened. “Do you think… it would have?” 

“Maybe,” Saffron offered. “If it’s awake now…?”

Mikris felt a little choke in her throat. She leaned into Aurora and grasped the child’s hand. “If they were chosen… the Great Machine blessing one of us directly… even if they aren’t a Guardian, perhaps it imbued them with Light? To save them from the Scorn? Is that… possible?”

“Anything is possible, love,” Aurora murmured. Her eyes had an unbearable softness as she looked down at the child sleeping in her arms. 

Mikris nuzzled her and purred at her smile. “You like them.”

“Love them,” Aurora corrected. 

Mikris looked at her for a few long moments before speaking, soft and gentle. “I know Guardians cannot have their own children. Even if you could, you are an exo. Aurora, love…? This little one needs parents. There are many willing in the House to take on that role. And of course, as is our custom, the entire House will help raise them. But…”

Aurora looped an arm around her to pull her in close. “Are you asking me if I want us to be their parents?”

Mikris chirped in affirmation.

Aurora’s eyes glittered rainbow. She pressed her forehead to Mikris’. “I’ve never been a mom, as far as I know,” she admitted. “I’ve still got to do Guardian stuff, of course, too, but… stars, yes, Mikris, I want to be a mother, with you. I want to raise a kid with you. I didn’t even know I wanted that until now.”

Mikris trilled, a joy unlike anything she’d felt before filling her body. She was nearly dizzy with it, so overwhelmed with affection. “I never thought I’d live long enough to find love even close to ours,” she purred warmly. “Never mind with the most wonderful Guardian to ever live… and to adopt such a blessed little child, to raise them with you… the Great Machine truly is with the Eliksni, with me.”

Aurora pulled her close and held the little one to her chest. She was nearly hiccuping with emotion. “I love you. I love you so much, Mikris. You’re my Light.”

Mikris leaned down to nuzzle the little one. “We should name them.”

“We should!”

Mikris chirped thoughtfully and looked to her. “Is… would you… want to name them after Cayde?”

Aurora still flinched at his name. She looked down at the little one and hummed softly. “No… I don’t think so. I appreciate the thought, love, but…”

“I understand.”

“Maybe…” She tipped her head. “But there’s someone else that I’ve lost who would fit better. An old friend of mine and Cayde’s. He was a Nightstalker. I’ve always had the bow, but he… really knew how to use it. He helped me forge a connection to it that I’d never been able to get before. He… died, to the Vex, right before Oryx arrived.” She took a breath. “I took the remaining shreds of his Light. My bow was stronger after that. He was a good man.”

Mikris curled against her. “I think you mentioned him before. There weren’t many Nightstalkers, and he was a Scout?”

Aurora nodded. “Tevis Larson. He was… a friend. Like so many others…”

Mikris wrapped her arms around her wife and the little one. “The Darkness will do everything to break you, my love,” she murmured. “Do not let it. Their sacrifices should not be in vain.”

Aurora took a shuddering breath and pressed her mouth gently the little one’s head. “I know. I know. I just… miss all of them. Tevis would’ve liked you. Everyone likes you, of course, honey, you’re impossible to dislike!”

Mikris flushed and ducked her head. She rubbed her thumb over the little one’s hand. “I like Tevis. That’s a good name. And they seem to be void-touched… it seems fitting.”

Aurora smiled and held them both close. “Little Tevis. I love it. I love them. I love you. We… we’re a family, Mickie. Can they have two names? We could… also name them after your sister…?”

“Tevis Phaloriks,” Mikris murmured. She chirped softly. “It’s perfect. She’d like that, having her name alongside a Guardian’s… thank you.”

“We’re a family.” Aurora giggled in delight.

“I love you,” Mikris purred.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @lesbianeliksni  
Wash's tumblr is @wehavelightandfury or find them on ao3 @rahleighbucket


End file.
